He left Malta as a teenage migrant and became a California millionaire

Hugh Cassar left Malta at the age of 15 in the aftermath of World War II to build a new life abroad. Today, aged 89, Cassar owns a sprawling $34.9 million castle in California.

A leading importer and distributor of clove cigarettes and later premium cigars and smoking accessories in the US, Cassar leveraged persistence, unconventional deal-making, and a willingness to start small and scale gradually.

The Maltese entrepreneur, also known as Hugo, recently drew local attention after a video clip surfaced showing him attempting to sell one of his properties: a vast estate in Lake Sherwood, California.

The clip features Cassar presenting the 14,000-square-foot Château Plaisance, located within the exclusive Lake Sherwood Country Club. The property includes six bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a Baccarat crystal chandelier, hand-painted murals, a marble staircase and its own ‘Hall of Mirrors’, similar to that in Versailles.

Amid the opulence, one thing stands out: Cassar’s enduring pride in his Maltese roots.

“I am very proud to be from Malta,” he told Times of Malta.

His office is decorated with paintings of Malta and photographs of him alongside several Maltese prime ministers, including Lawrence Gonzi and Joseph Muscat.

Despite his success, Cassar appeared modest about his newfound local fame. Laughing sheepishly, he said: “I am just a human being who managed to survive leaving Malta at 15 years old.”

Hugh Cassar smoking one of his cigars. Photo: Kretek

Cassar born in 1936 in Sliema

Cassar was born in 1936 in Triq San Piju, Sliema. He recalls a happy childhood as an altar boy at Stella Maris church and attending the Seminary before continuing his studies at St Albert the Great in Valletta.

Yet his memories of wartime Malta remain incredibly vivid.

“I remember the air raids three times a day and the German bombs falling on roofs. I remember people running into the shelters as they were crying and praying. People walking through all the rubble on the street from the broken-down homes. People do not understand what we went through.”

By the time the war ended, Cassar was nine years old. Like many Maltese families at the time, he looked overseas in search of better opportunities.

His father, Edwardu, had served in the Royal Air Force for several years, despite originally training as a hairdresser. After the war, the family considered emigrating to Australia but ultimately decided against it.

“My dad used to say there was no way he would go there because it’s the end of the world.”

Instead, they chose Canada, a popular destination for Maltese emigrants in the 1950s. Between 1946 and 1981, more than 18,000 Maltese are believed to have migrated there.

The Cassar family settled in Toronto, where Hugh, the eldest of five children, quickly took on responsibility.

Hugo Cassar cigars. Photo: Kretek

'We were immigrants trying to get by'

“I didn’t want to go to school. I wanted to help my mother and father. You know, we were immigrants trying to get by,” he said.

He worked while continuing his studies, eventually graduating from the University of Toronto at the age of 29 with a degree in business and finance. By then, he was married with three children.

It was at this stage that he made another life-changing decision: to leave Canada for California.

“It’s the idea of it, the fact it’s warm, and you can make more money to support your family there. I just love it.”

However, his early days in California were far from easy. “We didn’t have a place to live. I didn’t have a job. And I had this family to take care of!”

Arriving in Sausalito, near San Francisco, with his children urging him to return to Canada, Cassar spotted a moving van and seized an opportunity. He persuaded a landlord to rent him a property.

I got a place, but I didn’t have anything to put in it, so I rented us out some folding beds- Hugh Cassar

“I got a place, but I didn’t have anything to put in it, so I rented us out some folding beds.”

From those modest beginnings, Cassar began to rebuild his life. After working for an accounting firm, the family moved to Los Angeles, where he took up a role as chief accountant at a hospital.

He later relocated to Thousand Oaks, where a new hospital was under construction. There, he worked as a hospital specialist, helping to set up operational systems. The project proved successful and marked a turning point in his career.

With growing financial stability, Cassar purchased his first home for $38,000 on a cul-de-sac.

“I went into the medical field managing hospitals all over the world,” he said. After a decade in the sector, he decided to venture into business independently. This eventually led him into real estate and the importation of cigarettes.

Founded Kretek in 1983

In 1983, he founded Kretek International, which imports Indonesian clove cigarettes.

When major cigar companies refused access to their products, he partnered with a manufacturer to create his own cigar brands and then even sent employees to Nicaragua to learn cigar-making from scratch.

Based in Moorpark, California, the company has since grown into a major distributor of specialty tobacco products and cannabis accessories across North America.

Among its products are Hugo Cassar cigars, which prominently feature Maltese symbols, including the Maltese falcon and the eight-pointed cross.

“I’ve got the Maltese cross on everything. It’s all over my ranch, even in my theatre there’s a Maltese cross in the ceiling. As you can tell I am proud to tell everybody I’m Maltese.”

Cassar also served as Malta’s Consul General in Southern California for 20 years, a role he described as an honour. His son, Mark, has since taken over the position.

Despite his wealth and property portfolio, which includes a castle and a ranch, Cassar does not own a home in Malta. However, he has not ruled out the possibility.

Hugh Cassar with Joseph Muscat. Photo: Hugh Cassar

Hugh Cassar with Lawrence Gonzi. Photo: Hugh Cassar